Staircase and nosing therefor

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure concerns embodiments of a stair nosing that can be installed on a concrete tread. The nosing has an upper surface that is formed with a plurality of openings or apertures that can be any of various shapes such as a diamond, square, rectangular, circle, oval, triangle, or various combinations thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the nosing is formed from a piece of expanded metal defining a pattern of diamond-shaped apertures. The nosing can be formed by bending an anchor portion such as two side portions of the piece of expanded metal downwardly with respect to a central portion of the metal piece. When forming a concrete tread, the two bent side portions are inserted into the uncured or wet concrete, and therefore serve as an anchor for securing the nosing to the tread.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/831,725, filed Jul. 17, 2006, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure concerns embodiments of a staircase and stair nosings therefor.

BACKGROUND

One type of staircase commonly found in office buildings, condominiums, and other multi-story structures includes a metal frame comprising a series of alternating vertical risers and horizontal pans and spaced-apart stringers secured to the respective ends of the risers and pans. Concrete is poured into the pans to form the treads of the stairs. Before the concrete cures, metal nosings, typically made of aluminum, are pressed into the forward end portions of the treads. The nosings typically are formed with a ribbed or grooved upper surface to provide a gripping surface on the treads.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure concerns embodiments of a stair nosing that can be installed on a concrete tread. The nosing has an upper surface that is formed with a plurality of openings or apertures that can be any of various shapes such as a diamond, square, rectangular, circle, oval, triangle, or various combinations thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the nosing is formed from a piece of expanded metal defining a pattern of diamond-shaped apertures. The nosing can be formed by bending two side edge portions of the piece of expanded metal at 90-degree angles with respect to a central portion of the metal piece. When forming a concrete tread, the two bent side portions are inserted into the non-cured concrete, and therefore serve as anchors for securing the nosing to the tread.

In a representative embodiment, a step for a staircase comprises a concrete tread having an upper surface, and an elongated nosing secured to the tread. The nosing comprises an anchor portion that can comprise at least one, and in a desirable example plural elongated projecting nosing portions, at least partially embedded in the concrete and an upper portion exposed in or situated above the upper surface of the tread. The upper portion defines a plurality of apertures. The anchor portion and the upper portion or just the upper portion can be formed from a piece of expanded metal.

In another representative embodiment, a method for making a step for a staircase comprises introducing concrete into a horizontally disposed pan of the step for forming a tread. Prior to curing of the concrete, an anchor portion of a nosing is inserted into the concrete such that an upper tread portion of the nosing forms part of the upper surface of the step, wherein the tread portion of the nosing comprises a plurality of apertures.

In another representative embodiment, a method for making a step for a staircase comprises forming a nosing for the step by bending a piece of expanded metal to form a tread portion and at least one bent portion extending from the tread portion. The method also comprise introducing concrete into a horizontally disposed pan of the step for forming a tread and prior to curing of the concrete, inserting the at least one bent portion into the concrete such that the tread portion is exposed in or above an upper surface of the concrete.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a portion of a staircase, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged perspective view of an end portion of one of the stairs of the staircase shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a nosing of the staircase shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the nosing shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, side elevation view of the stair shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” refer to one or more than one, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the term “includes” means “comprises.” For example, a device that includes or comprises A and B contains A and B but may optionally contain C or other components other than A and B. A device that includes or comprises A or B may contain A or B or A and B, and optionally one or more other components such as C.

FIG. 1 shows a portion of a staircase 10, according to one embodiment. The staircase 10 can be installed in any type of multi-story structure, such as an office building, hotel, condominium, etc. The staircase 10 in the illustrated embodiment comprises a frame having a plurality of vertically disposed risers 12 and a plurality of horizontally disposed pans 14 each extending between the upper end portion of one riser 12 and the lower end portion of an adjacent riser 12. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, each riser 12 can be formed with a horizontally-disposed upper portion 18 that forms the forward edge portion of a respective stair. A pair of parallel, spaced apart stringers (not shown) are secured to respective ends of the risers 12 and pans 14 in a conventional manner. In particular embodiments, the risers 12, pans 14, and stringers are formed from steel or another suitable metal and can be of a conventional construction.

Once the frame of the staircase 10 is installed in the structure, concrete is poured into the pans 14 to form treads 16 of the staircase, as known in the art. Each riser 12 and corresponding tread 16 extending perpendicularly from the upper end of the riser defines a step or stair of the staircase.

A nosing 20 is installed adjacent the forward edge of each tread 16. In particular embodiments, nosing 20 has at least one anchor portion that is at least partially embedded in the wet or uncured concrete to secure the nosing in place. Nosing 20 can extend across the entire width of the tread 16 as shown in the illustrated embodiment or partially across the width of the tread. As best shown in FIG. 5, nosing 20 can include first and second anchor portions, or legs, 22 that extend downwardly, such as at right angles, with respect to an upper tread portion, or central portion, 24 of the nosing. In alternative embodiments, nosing 20 can be formed with only a single leg 22 that is embedded in the concrete and/or less desirably can include other mechanisms for securing the nosing to the concrete. For example, screws or bolts can be used to secure the nosing to the concrete.

The tread portion 24 is formed with a plurality of apertures 26 so as to provide a gripping surface for the tread 16. The apertures 16 can be of any of various shapes such as a diamond (as shown), square, rectangular, circle, oval, triangle, or various combinations thereof. Moreover, a nosing can be formed with a plurality of differently shaped apertures. In an exemplary embodiment, nosing 20 is formed from a piece of expanded metal defining a pattern of aesthetically pleasing diamond-shaped apertures 26. The expanded metal can be formed by forming slits in a sheet of solid material and expanding or stretching the sheet to form the apertures 26, as known in the art. Different techniques can be implemented to form differently shaped, aesthetically pleasing apertures in the expanded metal. For example, the expanded metal can be formed with apertures that are hexagonal, rounded, honeycomb shaped, to name a few.

In an exemplary embodiment, 18-gauge expanded metal having ½-inch apertures is used to form the nosing. In alternative embodiments, the nosing can be formed by punching, drilling, or otherwise forming holes or apertures in a piece of metal or other material. Nosing 20 can have a one-piece, monolithic or unitary, construction and can be formed by forming 90-degree bends along the longitudinal sides of a piece of expanded metal so as to form the leg portions 22. As used herein, a “one-piece” or “unitary” construction refers to a construction that does not include any welds, fasteners, or other means for securing separately formed pieces of material to each other.

Nosing 20 can include a polymeric, elastomeric or other layer covering the upper surface of the tread portion 24 to provide increased traction. In an exemplary embodiment, nosing 20 is encapsulated by a polymeric coating 28, which can be formed using conventional techniques such as by spraying polymeric material on the nosing or dipping the nosing in a polymeric material. The polymeric coating 28 can be made of any of various suitable materials, such as epoxy or urethane.

In a specific embodiment, tread portion 24 of nosing 20 has a width W (FIG. 5) of about 2 inches and leg portions 22 have a height H of about ¾ inch. Of course, these specific dimensions are given to illustrate the invention and not to limit it. The dimensions provided herein can be modified as needed in different applications or situations such as may be required by building codes.

Nosings 20 can be installed by inserting the leg portions 22 into the non-cured concrete after it is poured into pans 14. As shown in FIG. 5, each nosing can be installed such that it abuts the horizontal portion 18 of the adjacent riser and the upper surface of the nosing is above the upper surface of the concrete tread 16 and substantially flush with the upper surface of the horizontal portion 18 of the riser. In alternative embodiments, the tread portion 24 can be pressed into the concrete with the upper surface of the tread portion being exposed in the upper surface of the tread 16.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only preferred examples of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims. I therefore claim as my invention all that comes within the scope and spirit of these claims. 

1. A step for a staircase comprising: a concrete tread having an upper surface; and an elongated nosing secured to the tread, the nosing comprising at least one anchor portion at least partially embedded in the concrete and an upper portion exposed in or situated above the upper surface of the tread, the upper portion defining a plurality of apertures.
 2. The staircase of claim 1, wherein the nosing comprises expanded metal.
 3. The staircase of claim 2, wherein the nosing comprises a polymeric coating substantially encapsulating the expanded metal.
 4. The staircase of claim 2, wherein the anchor portion and the tread portion are of a unitary construction and the-anchor portion comprises a bent portion of the expanded metal that projects downwardly from the tread portion.
 5. The staircase of claim 4, wherein the bent portion comprises a first bent portion and the anchor portion further comprises a second bent portion, the first and second bent portions being elongated and extending from opposite sides of the tread portion and projecting perpendicularly downwardly from the tread portion.
 6. A method for making a step for a staircase, comprising: introducing concrete into a horizontally disposed pan of the step for forming a tread; and prior to curing of the concrete, inserting an anchor portion of a nosing into the concrete such that an upper tread portion of the nosing forms part of the upper surface of the step, the tread portion of the nosing comprising a plurality of apertures.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the nosing is formed by bending a piece of expanded metal to form a U-shaped configuration comprising first and second bent portions extending from opposite sides of the tread portion, the first and second bent portions comprising the anchor portion, and the act of inserting the anchor portion into the concrete comprises inserting the first and second bent portions into the concrete.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the nosing comprises a piece of expanded metal and the act of inserting an anchor portion of the nosing into the concrete comprises inserting a portion of the piece of expanded metal into the concrete.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein at least the upper tread portion of the nosing is coated with polymeric coating.
 10. A method for making a step for a staircase, comprising: forming a nosing for the step by bending a piece of expanded metal to form a tread portion and at least one bent portion extending from the tread portion; introducing concrete into a horizontally disposed pan of the step for forming a tread; and prior to curing of the concrete, inserting the at least one bent portion into the concrete such that the tread portion is exposed in or above an upper surface of the concrete.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the act of the forming the nosing comprises bending side portions of the piece of expanded metal to form first and second bent portions extending from opposite sides of the tread portion. 